Utica Zoo
4
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
About
Located in Utica, NY, the Utica Zoo has been dedicated to fostering a public appreciation of wildlife through education, conservation, and recreation. Opened in 1914, the Utica Zoo aims to be a premiere tourism destination for visitors and to provide exemplary animal care. With over 200 animals representing 99 different species, the Utica Zoo plays a pivotal role in the conservation and advancement of several endangered and critically endangered species, such as Red Panda, California Sea Lions, White Handed Gibbons, Mexican Wolves, Chinese Alligators, Mexican Spider Monkeys and more. Situated on over 80 acres in the scenic Roscoe Conkling Park, the Utica Zoo is minutes from Downtown Utica hotels, Utica Union Train Station, and NYS Thruway exits, 30 minutes from Turningstone Casino and Resort, and under 2 hours from the Capital District.
Duration: 1-2 hours
Meets animal welfare guidelines
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.0
254 reviews
Excellent
98
Very good
88
Average
47
Poor
13
Terrible
8
216travelfun
New England14 contributions
Aug 2021
What a great experience!!! I wish you could hear the my voice as that would let you know exactly how great this experience really was. I booked this experience as a graduation/18th birthday gift months in advance. Because of Covid things at the zoo changed, they informed me, made new arrangements for the say day. While we were at the zoo, EVERYONE, was friendly and animal knowledgeable. It is obvious that the people love their animals and jobs.
The zoo is small, you can see all the animals in a few hours. However, there are multiple animal encounters you can add to enhance your day. Our red panda experience was100% fabulous. We fed them grapes and bamboo. We spent about 30 minutes with these adorable little animals. We will return maybe for a camel feeding!
The zoo is small, you can see all the animals in a few hours. However, there are multiple animal encounters you can add to enhance your day. Our red panda experience was100% fabulous. We fed them grapes and bamboo. We spent about 30 minutes with these adorable little animals. We will return maybe for a camel feeding!
Written August 8, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
karemore
Hudson Valley NY106 contributions
May 2021
We love zoos, especially AZA zoos, regardless of the size. We frequent the Trevor Zoo and the Beardsley Zoo, which are both small, so it's not like we are comparing this one to the Bronx Zoo.
We did have a nice visit, the staff we encountered were friendly, and it was a beautiful, quiet day to walk the grounds. But it struck me as a sad zoo. I loved the location, up above the city, but not too far out of the way. The sign on the way in is impressive, and it's a nice parking lot and entrance.
The animals looked sad, and most of the walkways and exhibits needed refurbishment. It felt run down and unloved. There seemed to be a lot of yellow tape everywhere, not sure if that was a covid thing or they were doing/planning work. Either way it didn't help the atmosphere. The cafe wasn't open, but luckily we had sandwiches in the cooler since we were travelling.
The gift shop was nice, and they did have an ice cream cooler in there and a few snack options. There was a pressed penny machine in the gift shop as well. Most are not available due to covid, so it was a treat to find one.
We were only there for a couple hours, but my impression was they need more money and more help to get the zoo in the shape it deserves. It's a great location, they have an interesting collection of animals, and the staff that was there seemed hard working. They need a couple of benefactors and a team of scouts or other volunteers.
We did have a nice visit, the staff we encountered were friendly, and it was a beautiful, quiet day to walk the grounds. But it struck me as a sad zoo. I loved the location, up above the city, but not too far out of the way. The sign on the way in is impressive, and it's a nice parking lot and entrance.
The animals looked sad, and most of the walkways and exhibits needed refurbishment. It felt run down and unloved. There seemed to be a lot of yellow tape everywhere, not sure if that was a covid thing or they were doing/planning work. Either way it didn't help the atmosphere. The cafe wasn't open, but luckily we had sandwiches in the cooler since we were travelling.
The gift shop was nice, and they did have an ice cream cooler in there and a few snack options. There was a pressed penny machine in the gift shop as well. Most are not available due to covid, so it was a treat to find one.
We were only there for a couple hours, but my impression was they need more money and more help to get the zoo in the shape it deserves. It's a great location, they have an interesting collection of animals, and the staff that was there seemed hard working. They need a couple of benefactors and a team of scouts or other volunteers.
Written May 29, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
MrsJAtlanta
Atlanta262 contributions
May 2021
This zoo could use an update. The habitats were lacking and old fashioned. Still, we enjoyed watching the baby dwarf goats dance around their enclosure, and we LOVED listening to the white handed gibbons sing and sing for about 30 minutes. Odd variety of animals, including two camels. One loop had us going uphill into a forested area to the next exhibit. Unexpected on a hot day.
Written May 24, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
CBDB68
Sophia, NC104 contributions
Jun 2021 • Solo
The zoo is host to over 200 species of animals; however when I was here on a Friday afternoon I only saw a handful. Maybe it was too hot or late in the day but there were only a few prominent animals to be seen. The camels and Mexican wolf. The 2 bald eagles put on a nice chatting session with eachother. Two California sea lions swimming around in a small tank. There seems to be a lot of construction going on and exhibits closed partly because COVID-19 concerns.
Written June 20, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
bbbob84
Staten Island, NY1,626 contributions
Aug 2020
A nice local zoo with a number of exhibits. We followed the path through the main part of the zoo and then visited the Children's Zoo. At a leisurely pace and with minimal reading of the provided information it should take an hour and a half give or take. Some of the primates were very vocal during our visit. A fun experience.
Written August 24, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
John I
Clifton Park, NY743 contributions
Jun 2021
It is what it is. This place is a breathe of fresh air. On a hot day in June, we navigated the whole mountainous route through all the exhibits. Worthy of our time and inexpensive for the attraction. Unfortunately, they did not have indoor exhibits going and there was little opportunity to buy food. But the pursuit deserves credit. The exhibits are well marked and the occupants seemed healthy and well cared for. We were particularly fascinated by the Mexican wolves, who started to do an exercise regime as we arrived. Four animals pacing back and forth as if they were in the military. Additionally, the red panda was one of the cutest faces one could imagine. This place is definitely worth 2 hours of one's time.
Written June 14, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Valerie C
1 contribution
May 2023
We had a birthday party for my 8 year old. It was a friend party, and the experience was excellent. Staff were friendly and accommodating. She picked 2 ambassador animals for the presentation, a tortoise and porcupine, and everyone loved it. Very nice playground on site that the kids loved.
Written May 15, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
bennetj
Windsor, CT67 contributions
Jun 2022
We visited on a Tuesday morning just as the facility opened for the day. Being early (no crowds) we were able to traverse the facility at a leisurely pace. This allowed us to spend more time observing the animals that were of interest to us. The facility is not grandeur in size but is well laid out and easy to walk.
Written July 10, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
CB
Toronto, Canada7 contributions
Jun 2022
It's a small zoo, but quite sweet and while the enclosures aren't exactly world-class they animals do have some good enrichment and mostly have a decent amount of space. Quite a surprising range of animals considering the size and location. Also fairly inexpensive. Worth a visit!
Written October 20, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Judy and Hoppy
New Hartford, NY299 contributions
Aug 2020 • Family
A good place to exercise the kids in a safe environment. We wore our masks and kept our distance from other families. There is plenty of space, so safety was not a concern. It takes us about 1.5 hours to make the complete loop. Each visit we learn something new. Kids are always keen to visit. And, with our membership we also get reduced price tickets at other zoos.
Utica is very fortunate to have this well maintained zoo!
Utica is very fortunate to have this well maintained zoo!
Written August 19, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Suprenant
Fort Edward, NY19 contributions
Do they have food courts?
I Travel
Skelmersdale, UK3,176 contributions
Hi, there is basic food available and drinks of course but the best thing you can do is to take your own food, when I rang up to book tickets and I asked about food I was urged to bring some, I was with my wife so it's not like we had a van load of food, we got it all in 1 cooler
kellygrl73
Broadalbin, NY8 contributions
What is the maximum time needed to tour the Utica Zoo?
I Travel
Skelmersdale, UK3,176 contributions
Kelly, my wife and I took a slow steady walk around stopping after a couple of hours for a bite to eat and we were finished in about 4.5 hours, go there and enjoy your day
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Claim your listingUtica Zoo - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)
Frequently Asked Questions about Utica Zoo
- Utica Zoo is open:
- Sun - Sat 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
- Hotels near Utica Zoo:
- (0.83 mi) Rosemont Inn Bed & Breakfast
- (1.47 mi) DoubleTree by Hilton Utica
- (4.54 mi) Homewood Suites By Hilton New Hartford Utica
- (4.50 mi) Hampton Inn & Suites New Hartford
- (2.20 mi) Hampton Inn Utica
- Restaurants near Utica Zoo:
- (1.49 mi) Zeina's Cafe & Catering
- (0.37 mi) Danieles at Valley View Country Club
- (1.72 mi) The Tailor and The Cook
- (0.64 mi) Daniele
- (2.14 mi) Delmonico's Italian Steakhouse